Gravity Fx Fitness

Something most people forget about with their workouts are recovery techniques. If you want to minimize the risk of overuse injuries and get better results at the same time, you need to focus on how to recover faster.

You can’t train hard if you’re injured and if you are too pooped to pop, your training session won’t be as beneficial as it could be.

I came across an article by Mike Robertson called Twelve Ways to Improve Recovery.  He discusses such methods as self myofascial release (massage), sleep, mobility and pool workouts.

As someone who used to do 6-8 hours of massage and stretching a day while working in a chiropractic clinic, I know the benefits of regular massage and have seen more than a few people with overuse injuries who needed to focus more on their recovery and spend a little less time training.

At my studio location we have the benefit of the clinic’s warm water pool, which some of our members have taken advantage of, but not as many as could really use it.

I’m in there once a week or every ten days to keep this beaten-up old body going.  If not for that and the regular use of self massage techniques like the Stick, foam roller, Rumble roller, etc., I wouldn’t be able to train very intensely.

Last night, one of our clients came in with a little stiffness in the corner of his neck.  This is a chronic issue for him and his stressful work situation seems to contribute to it.

I will sometimes do some brief soft tissue work with clients but knew that he needed to learn how to help manage this issue on his own, so I had him lay down and use the Rumble roller (compact version) on his neck and his thoracic spine.

Then we placed a tennis ball in the corner of his shoulderblade and had him slowly move his arm in various positions.  This removed much of the tension in his muscles and the rest of his session was focused on stretching and mobility work, including the Indian clubs.

He’s had lumbar fusion surgery two years ago and doing much better at the moment but still needs to do plenty of mobility training.  At about 6′ 6″ and close to 300 pounds, gentle movements that focus on mobility can help train his stabilizer muscles, along with helping to enhance recovery.

By the way, spending plenty of time in the warm water pool (94 degrees) has helped increase his mobility and his overall function has seen much improvement.  He can now train a little harder in the studio, too.

I try to get a massage once every 4-5 weeks but could use it more often.  I think this should be a minimum of 4-6 weeks if training regularly with any intensity.

Here is that link to the article Twelve Ways to Improve Recovery.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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“My leg is feeling ‘normal’ for the first time in years and I lost 6 pounds last week,” stated 66 year old Sue.

I met Sue about three weeks ago at a body transformation workshop given by a chiropractic couple I know.  They spent two hours addressing the diet and exercise changes necessary for weight loss, as well as the hormonal issues that keep many people overweight.

Everyone had the opportunity to come train at my studio for a week and she was one of the only ones to take me up on the offer.

The first time she came in we talked about her health history and she mentioned an accident about twenty years ago, where she was walking and a pick-up truck ran into her lower leg, breaking it.  She had therapy on the leg after it healed but it has been a problem for quite some time.

Many seniors who are overweight can have difficulties going up stairs and when we did this exercise (step-ups) she really struggled with the leg she had injured.  Sue had to consciously think about lifting her foot, when it should have been fairly simple.

As we went through some basic exercises she struggled with that left leg and had to sit down at times as it became fatigued.  She came in once more before leaving on vacation and I was hoping she would come back to continue the task of getting her stronger and dropping some weight.

The next session I had her hop up on the table and did some basic massage for her lower leg and also her thigh, which was working too much to compensate for the lost motion down below.

Then we had her do some flex band stretching for her lower leg and ankle.  She needed assistance on some of the ankle circles, in order to complete the motion.  Then she started her exercises which included Power Plate squats, step-ups off a low step, TRX squats and various band and tubing rows, both seated and standing.

We did this three times last week and Monday she said that the leg now feels normal and she lost 6 pounds in a week, making changes to her diet as well.  Normally I don’t care too much for checking the scale but with those who are very overweight this number can be an indication of progress when accompanied with exercise.

Sue is getting ready to move to South Carolina soon with her husband, giving us a little more time to increase her strength and drop some more weight.  She has a good attitude and wants to stay active in her senior years.  Her daughter and granddaughter plan to hike the Appalachian Trail next Summer and Sue wants to meet them and walk with them a little while.

Without this type of intervention it would probably not be possible and she was a fall waiting to happen, in my opinion.  It’s a good thing we met when we did and she decided to take action.  She still has a lot of work to do after she moves away but has momentum headed in the right direction.

She has been working on the ankle circles at home while sitting down and is walking more, also.

She said that she thinks attitude has a lot to do with overcoming obstacles and I couldn’t agree more.  I recently saw a magazine article on a star athlete’s training program and his trainer was someone I worked with in the same facility for a short while.  He was a good guy with a good attitude so I felt glad for the publicity he got, but also a little bit jealous…..

but Sue’s progress made me feel happy and made me realize how many more people in their 50’s and 60’s need some help in losing weight and increasing their strength to maintain their health and mobility as they age.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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A great way to assist your warm up and help prevent injuries is through use of the Stick and a tennis ball.  The tennis ball is great for loosening up the fascia (connective tissue) in the arch of your foot.

Your fascia provides support for your muscles and is spread all throughout your body in different layers and in diagonal patterns, as well as vertical and horizontal.

Tight (restricted) fascia in your feet can cause problems further up the body, so a simple way to work them is with a little self massage.  You can do this seated or standing by rolling the ball underneath your foot for 30 seconds to two minutes, using an amount of pressure that works for you.  You can progress to a golf ball if needed, as long as you didn’t just injure your foot.

This is also good to do before you exercise or prior to stretching.  Same thing applies to massage with the Stick. If you have special issues or health concerns check with your doctor or therapist first.

Brian Morgan

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Cross training might help you avoid injury and increase performance.  In a recent newspaper article, a trio of local physical therapists were featured in their preparation for an Ironman Triathlon.

According to one therapist, “I have done three marathons, but the daily running was always causing some sort of injury.  The cross training keeps me fit and injury free.”

I’ve worked with a few runners over the years and overuse injuries seem to be part of the training.  I can remember the first year that we had a local marathon.  I did massage therapy with three people that had become injured while increasing their mileage to prepare for the race.

Adding in biking and swimming can take some of the pounding off your muscles and joints.  If you don’t want to do a triathlon, add in some resistance training that focuses on single leg stance, such as lunges and stepups.

You can also focus on recovery methods such as massage and stretching.  You need a combination of strength and flexibility built into your muscles – they should be elastic, like a rubber band.

Hard training athletes need quality massage therapy on a regular basis.  My massage mentor had one of his athletes set the NFL record for most carries in a season by a running back, while getting weekly massage.

Self-massage is a more viable solution for most of us.  This can be a foam roll, tennis ball, or rolling massager like the Stick or Tiger Tail.  Follow this up with various types of stretching and throw in some strengthening exercises, as well.

Don’t forget to engage in sport or recreational activities that work the muscles in different movement patterns, like lateral movements.  For specific strengthening exercises, check out my other running articles.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Skilled deep tissue massage can be very effective at relieving or reducing chronic pain.  It can also help you reduce the risk of overuse injuries.

In the previous article, I talked about my first massage and how effective it was for removing excess tension.  Excess tension in the muscles and restrictions in the fascia (connective tissue) can create pain.

You can have too much tension from overuse and you can have a buildup of scar tissue from an injury.  This is where deep tissue massage can be very effective.

In my opinion, using some form of moist heat first will make the tissues more pliable and easier to work on.  This may save the client from greater pain/discomfort and it definitely is easier on the hands of the therapist.

In one instance, I worked on a 77 year old woman who had torn her rotator cuff two years prior.  She had to take care of her husband and couldn’t take time off to have surgery.

So she had almost no movement in that shoulder and basically, almost no function with that arm.  In order to drive, she had to take her other arm and lift her bad arm to grab the steering wheel.

She would joke to the technicians that I was beating her up, but she knew it was helping and I didn’t create any more discomfort than necessary.

After ten 30 minute sessions of massage and stretching, she had about double the range of motion and could now swing a golf club again, for which she was very happy.

She could have used some strengthening exercises too, but she was coming in to the clinic from quite a distance and was satisfied with her progress.  I believe strongly in corrective exercise, but have seen times where people got better results with skilled soft tissue therapy and chiropractic, than they did in physical therapy.

My massage mentor worked with college teams for a while and then “graduated” to the pro ranks when one of his athletes turned pro.  One of his football clients set the NFL record for most carries in a season, while receiving massage twice a week, a record that has since been broken.

Active Release Technique (ART) has been touted as very beneficial for releasing scar tissue in a number of athletes and weight lifters.  It can be very painful to receive, but is reported to get fast results.

As one prominent lecturer has said, “not all practitioners are equally skilled,” which is probably true of all manual therapists.  I think it takes quite a bit of work to become proficient with ART.

Check out my article about self massage that you can do before your workouts.

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I’m going to do a product review of two different self massage tools – the Stick and the Tiger Tail.  I’ve used both of them and am also a massage therapist, so I’ll try to give you my professional opinion.

Frequently I am asked how often someone should get a massage.  I usually tell them it depends on what the problem is, but ideally if you are exercising regularly and fairly intensely, once a week.

I realize that most people don’t have the time and/or finances for this, especially in today’s economy.  Many hard training athletes will often use some form of self massage in their warmup, whether it is a rolling massager like the Stick or a foam roll.

Foam roll massage uses very deep pressure and can be pretty painful the first week or so, even with big, strong athletes.  I sometimes use a massage ball or tennis ball for some deep tissue work, but I will leave that for another article.

I use both of these devices prior to lower body exercise or flexibility work such as flex band stretching.  Massage prior to stretching will get better results.

Expert strength coach Mike Boyle gives this analogy – if you have a knot in a rope and you pull on both ends of the rope, the knot gets tighter.  Muscles will behave similarly if you don’t relieve the excess tension in the muscle before stretching.

The Stick has individual rollers which conform to the shape of your muscles and can be used at different speeds and you can vary the pressure to meet your needs.  Tiger Tail has a single roller that provides a little more firmness if you prefer deeper pressure.

It is also smaller, making it convenient for taking it with you in your workout bag, though they are both very portable.  I like both of them and would recommend either one.

The Stick is used in sports training centers and by athletes at all levels.  Hard training individuals need some type of massage to help keep injuries to a minimum and increase the tissue quality of the muscles.

Having a flexible muscle with lots of “knots” isn’t good and trying to stretch a muscle with knots without massaging them first isn’t wise.

My advice is to use some form of self massage and then get a professional massage as often as you can.

You can find both of these items at PerformBetter.com – click on Flexibility and Recovery.

Learn how to be pain free and make your body unbreakable.

Get moving!

Brian

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